This invention relates to shipping containers with sides that pivot outwardly for loading and unloading the containers.
The provision of outwardly pivotable sides on shipping containers has been suggested in the past, for example in U.S. Pat. No. 1,080,553 to Herzfeldt. The use of such a side as a ramp for unloading and loading the container is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,747,794 to Bitney.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,517,178 to Cheatham describes a folding container, the sides of which have interlocking channels and angles. However, Cheatham does not disclose means for lowering the sides outwardly for use as a ramp.
The use of leaf springs for locking the sides of collapsible shipping containers in place is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 945,228 to Fowler.
Shipping containers are subject to considerable abuse and the contents of a container exert relatively large forces against the sides of the container. Consequently, it is not suprising that collapsible shipping containers have been developed which provide means preventing outward movement of the sides which extends along the vertical corners of the container. However, while U.S. Pat. No. 3,747,794 to Bitney and U.S. Pat. No. 1,080,553 to Herzfeldt disclose outwardly pivoted sides, they do not provide means for preventing outward movement of the sides which extends along the vertical ends of the sides from the top to the bottom of the container.